Owner granted delay in razing old hospital

There’s been a delay in plans to bring down the old Medical Center of Independence building in eastern Independence.

Three months ago, the city announced it was buying the site, and one condition is that the owner tear down the building and clear the site. The sale was to have closed by Dec. 1, but the owner asked for and got an extension through Jan. 31 and is now asking for another extension.

“All the information we have is that they’ve been working in earnest but there have been delays,” City Manager Robert Heacock said Thursday.

The city plans to pay $1.5 million for the 14-acre site, more than one-third of which would be put in escrow to satisfy back property taxes.

HCA closed the hospital and Independence Regional Health Center six and a half years ago when it opened Centerpoint Medical Center. The current owner, Truman Manor LLC, at one time planned to convert MCI into senior housing.

Heacock has said that with the site cleared and in the city’s hands, it could someday be redeveloped.

The city also gets the three-story physicians building just to the east of MCI and plans to use that as office space for Independence Power and Light.